Heaven is so Far Away
by TheChroniclerX
Summary: Ask yourself...what if there were beings beyond our feeble comprehension, looking down upon us all? Ask yourself...what if these beings had a war in heaven? Ask yourself...what if the good guys lost?


**A/N: **Alright a lot of you are going to be pissed at me for writing this as opposed to working on my other story _Bleach the Devils Cry_ (which I highly recommend you check out, shameless plug).

Now before you bum rush my house and drag me out to the front yard for a horrendous and sadistic beating, hear me out.

I have not, I repeat, I **HAVE NOT**, abandoned _Bleach the Devils Cry_! As a matter of fact I've actually started work on the next chapter and it's looking really good.

The simple fact of the matter is, this story has a strangle hold on my muse for the moment, and I need to get it out of my system while it's still strong.

It's an AU, and I know some people might not enjoy that style of story, which is understandable. I'll elaborate further, next chapter. For now, I'll let my tale speak for itself.

* * *

_**Heaven is so Far Away**_

_**Chapter 1:**_

_**Twilight of the Gods**_

* * *

Twilight was approaching as the day drew to a close, and it sent a spectacular aurora of oranges and purples stretching across the sky overlooking the seemingly peaceful city of Karakura. It truly was a breath taking view.

But to Ichigo it only looked like one thing.

"Blood," spoke the blond man his eyes cast skywards in a perpetual scowl, "Looks like the diversion is in place."

"About time," spoke an equally agitated voice, an edge of apprehension lacing his voice, as he strode up besides his partner, "We were cutting it close as is…"

Ichigo didn't respond, instead dropping his gaze from the increasingly red sky to the stairway across the street. They had been hold up on the roof of this building for roughly three hours now, it would take them roughly 20 minutes to descend the five storied structure, 5 minutes more to exit the building and cross the street, and 45 minutes to ascend the steps to the Kuchiki estate, their target this evening.

Such a time frame passed in nearly the blink of an eye for beings such as them, but Renji was nothing if not impatient. He could hardly blame him though…the waiting always was the worst part of any mission.

And few missions were as important as this one…arguably none were, but he did not dwell on that. He no longer had any time, and in a way none of them did anymore.

"Alright," he said, turning away from the roof, and heading for the stairs, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his denim jacket, "Let's go."

Renji sighed and rose to his feet, stretching out, and snatching up an object that might have been a cell phone. He looked back to the stairs across the street, rising steadily up the mountain side and then back to Ichigo, who was already half way to the stairs.

"You know…we could easily just…"

"No Renji, we're walking…discretion is our friend here, we can't afford anything else."

"Oh yea, like you know crap about discretion."

"And you're the shadow of a ghost yourself mister 'come on guys it looks clear'."

"IT LOOKED CLEAR!"

"YEA, well IT WASN'T and it took FOREVER for my eyebrows to grow back after that!"

"How many times do I have to apologize for that you whiny bitch?"

"You have any idea how ridiculous I looked trying to scowl WITHOUT EYEBROWS!?!"

"YES, YES I DO!"

The sound of the stair well door closing drowned out Ichigo's rebuttal as they descended into the maintenance building. Traditionally the home of servants and other such personal, now it merely served as a storage building of sorts ever sense the Kuchiki manor had undergone renovations about 10 years or so ago.

There was a drive way that curved up the mountain side about 3 miles or so to the west, but that lead to the front of the manor, and their friend discretion called for the abandoned servant's entrance…

A flicker of movement filled Ichigo's peripherals as he and Renji snapped to a seemingly inconspicuous shadowed corner of the stair well, all talk ceased as the glared intently into the dark, as the decade old light bulbs flickered and whined low in the dead silence of the stairway.

The silence was broken as the light bulbs illuminating the floor two levels above them exploded, filling the flight with an unnatural darkness that seemed to move and writhe.

Ice ran up and down Ichigo and Renji's spine as the electric whining of the bulbs grew steadily louder even as another set of bulbs on the floor directly above them exploded. A low growl issued froth from the black, and suddenly Ichigo and Renji were on the move. Running and leaping down the stairs, all the while light bulbs popped and the darkness seemed to swoop down after them…

The pair crashed into the first floor, breathing calm and steady despite the deadly intent choking away the air. Side by side they burst through the double doors, leading into the lobby of the building, racing towards the entrance along the sliver of light shining dimly through the double glass doors.

All around them, the darkness swelled, and came alive, as vaguely formed arms twisted out of the blackness and reached for them, seeming to melt as they touched the light.

And then suddenly the light was gone, the sun hidden by a passing cloud, or set altogether the pair did not know, but they reacted instantly, their speed increasing ever more as they brought their own considerable power to bear…

And suddenly they were through, launching themselves clear of the darkness, and out into the still light saturated environment of the outdoors.

They took a second to gather themselves glaring back into the darkness, and the twisting shapes therein.

"They're getting braver," Ichigo said, as he unknowingly clenched and unclenched his fists. A part of him ached to run back in there and lay waste to the things that dwelled in the darkness…but they just didn't have time…

"Or stupider," growled Renji in between clenched teeth.

Neither of them wanted to acknowledge the third option…that the sun was starting to weaken…

A shrill ringing coming from the pocket of Renji's jacket broke their stare down, "Worthless piece of crap," said Renji, as he fished the thing from his pocket, "NOW it warns us…"

"Come on we're losing daylight…" said Ichigo, as they turned towards the stairway, while Renji continued to fiddle with the uncooperating device…

"Wait!" called Renji, as he finally got the accursed object to obey him, "I got something…"

"Yea we got a whole building of somethings behind us stupid, we don't have time for-"

"No not them, something else."

At this Ichigo's widened, before instant settling back into his regular scowl.

"How many?"

"Looks like just one, but I can't be sure…damn this thing…"

A roar of frustration escaped Renji's lips as the screen of his 'phone' abruptly went dark, and he threw it onto the ground in his rage, "SHIT!"

"Alright, this doesn't change anything, we get in, we grab what we came for, we get out," said Ichigo, as he grabbed Renji, and started dragging him towards the stairs.

"And if we happen to come across-"

"Then I guess we'll have to be a little less discrete."

* * *

It was early in the afternoon, when Rukia's limo pulled into her manor's drive way…

It was a little less early in the afternoon when said limo pulled up to the front door.

Her chauffer, Akira, opened the door for her, which still made her feel awkward, but she had gotten as used to it as she could over the years. Better she feel awkward than him, she always figured.

Another monotonous day at school had passed for her, and once again she pondered the point in even going…she never really felt like she belonged there.

But then again, she never really felt like she had belonged anywhere, least of all here in this…desolate…manor of her adoptive household. Which isn't too say it was empty, there were plenty of servants and maids and butlers who had never been anything but polite and courteous to her.

But there was always a…a wall of sorts between them invisible as it was impenetrable. Here she had many people at her beck and call, ready to fulfill her every whim, and yet she had not a single person she could readily talk too. It wasn't like she wasn't used to it, the years she had spent on the streets were nothing if not isolating, that was before some man she had never met left her all his considerable wealth for no readably foreseeable reason.

She had always thought that stroke of luck would be the turning point in her life…but really, aside from her 401k nothing really had changed all that much.

That is until she had met Ichigo…

'_Ichigo,'_ his name rang aloud in her mind…he had given her the sense of belonging she had never really felt before, and yet there was something disconcerting about him, that she couldn't seem to get around, despite the fact that he had been one of the few friends she had made in a rather long time, she always got the feeling that he wasn't telling her something about himself…and that bothered her in a deep way she couldn't fully process.

Eyes downcast in deep thought, Rukia only opened the door to her room through deeply ingrained memory. Her room was her favorite room in the house, which was a big deal when you took into consideration just how many rooms were in this place. She had once tried to count them all, and had gotten horribly impossibly lost in the process.

Her room was like a self contained house in and of itself, not unlike a luxury room in a ritzy hotel. There was a crouch squared off against a TV roughly the size of most people's beds, a small kitchen esc area, and a sub room where she slept on a bed that could probably had slept 9 comfortably.

She slipped her backpack off and threw it upon her couch, remember she had homework to do, but not really interested in doing it just yet.

No she had something else on her mind…

She kept it in a false bottom in the bottom shelf of her dresser draw, it was her dirty little secret…although really it wasn't that dirty…

"Ah ha," she said, as she pulled out a moderate sized box lined with black velvet…like the box a wedding ring would go in, but about four times bigger.

Opening the box, reveled an object of the purest white Rukia had ever seen, and probably would ever see. It was a _kenseikan_ a head ornament of sorts, not that she had ever worn it before. It was Byakuya's, her benefactor's, 'most prized possession' according to his will.

Looking at it, she could understand why, for one thing it glowed…phosphorescently like it was reflecting some unseen light source. For another, it possessed a sort of, indefinable mythic quality about it…an air of sorts…

But most of all, just looking at it, made Rukia feel good…really really good…like the perfect sunrise, or a perfectly in tune choir…or like coming home to a place you didn't even know you missed…it was just…good…

Often she would sit and stare into box for hours on end never daring to touch it least she somehow 'taint' it, but still continent to merely look at it for as long as she deemed fit.

Which was rarely _too long_ for as good at looking into the box made her feel…it also made her feel…sad…after awhile…like something was missing…something important she had forgotten, and would never remember again.

Like the end of an era far before it's time.

It was dusk before she slid the box shut this night, mixed feelings of happiness and sadness raging about in her, as she set the box on a coffee table next to her couch and pulled her back pack into her lap.

'_Alright, what does history have in store for me this evening_,' she wondered to herself as she took out her history text book, and began the dull task of completing tonight's homework.

She briefly made out the sound of the door bell ringing, all the way back at the front entrance. And for a minute she wondered who that could possibly be, but proceeded to quickly forget about it.

After all she had homework to do…

* * *

Akimoto, the doorman, hadn't had much a job in a long time. It was an oddity to hear the door bell ring in the Kuchiki manor, given that any guests were usually expected and planned for, and there hadn't been any guests at all sense the late Byakuya Kuchiki passed on. Once more the gate had neglected to inform him of anyone driving up the road, which made the situation all the odder.

He was so struck by the 'off-ness' of the whole situation, that he neglected to open the doorway altogether, until whoever it was seeking entrance rang the bell a second time. He snapped to attention as years of practiced movements ended with his hand upon the handle of the massive double wooden doors.

Twisting reflexively and giving a firm tug pulled the door open enough for the doorman to get a good clear look at whomever it was that had seen fit to push a button that had been out of use for years.

He almost immediately regretted it.

Before him stood a roguish figure of a man, in a white jacket obscenely open to show off his toned bar chest, and equally sculpted abdomen. And yet neither this, nor the blue eye shadow, or even his wild blue hair was the most offsetting feature of this man.

It was his eyes, his feral blue eyes the wild wide eyes of a killer…

"C-Can I help you sir?" he said, after awhile unable to control the stammer in his voice or tear his gaze away from those terrible eyes.

"This' the Kuchiki Estate?" he said simply, his whole body tense as if it was only just holding itself back.

"Y-yes-"

The full weight of the door slamming into his forehead cut the doorman off, as his already dead body hurtled across the width of the main hall and slammed into the far wall with bone shattering force…

"Good, now please, don't get up on my account, I'll show myself around," said the youth as he stepped over the shattered remnants of the door. At that moment, the last dirges of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, and night came alive.

Black things, took shape and ushered themselves into the manor in the blue hair man's wake, a certain eagerness to their movements and figures.

"Kill everyone inside," said the man needlessly, a toothy fang filled grin spread across his face, "but remember the girl is mine."

* * *

Ichigo and Renji made it a full three quarters up the stairs before the sun set behind them. As one they stopped and turned back to the derelict building they had left in their wake.

The second the sun was gone from the sky, a seemingly solid column of black exploded outwards from the complex. Figures were forming already, some vaguely humanoid, some as shapeless and inconsistent as water. All were heading directly towards the base of the stairs…

"Shit," said Ichigo, they didn't have time for this…one of _them _was close to her, he could feel it, they REALLY didn't have time for this, "Renji-"

"Ichigo…relax," said Renji, cutting Ichigo off and stepping in-between him and the advancing tide of darkness, "I'll handle things here…go…"

At this Ichigo stood momentarily taken aback, before he nodded his consent and turned back up the stairs calling back without turning, "Meet at the alternate rendezvous point in the allotted time, or I swear to Jehovah I'll kill you."

"Fair enough," said Renji as he through a casual wave over his shoulder, which Ichigo didn't see, as he finally summated the stair case…

Alone now, faced with a tide of darkness about waist deep a feral smile played across Renji's lips not unlike the one currently gracing the blue haired man's. Before him the swarm advanced up the stairs, roars and growls, and various other inhuman noises emanating from within.

A single figure broke from the rest about half way towards Renji, charging ahead deadly intent carved into its very essence…

Very calmly, Renji closed his eyes, and took one deep cleansing breath in, held it, and let it out, all the while feeling his own power swell around him…and begin to grow…

No more than 7 steps separated the black thing from its victim, at 6 steps it launched itself into the air, all manner of bladed objects uncoiling from it's being…

And then suddenly it was split in half, bisected straight down the middle…

Renji barely bat an eye lash as both halves of the monster fell off to either side of him and melted out of existence altogether. A second later the step directly ahead of the horde on the creature's heels exploded into dust…

Sensing the threat on the primal instinctive level, the shadow beings collectively stopped and squared off against the red haired man standing defiantly in their path.

"Evenin', my name is Renji Abarai, but you can call me Renji the Lash, and the next fifteen of you to ascend theses stairs tonight will die," said Renji simply, an even tone betrayed only by the manic grin spread across his face, "So? Who's it gonna be?"

The ensuing stare down lasted roughly 5 minutes as the creatures contemplated the fullness of Renji's threat…

And then as one, charged ahead anyway…

To his credit Renji only laughed, as he felt his power collectively uncoil around him.

"I was hoping you'd do that!"

* * *

Rukia was barely done with the first question, when the screaming started…loud and growing progressively louder. At first she wasn't sure what to make of it or for that matter what to do.

Instinctively she felt herself reach out and clutch the black velvet box closely to her chest. Either to protect it, or to so that it would 'somehow' protect, her she really didn't know. Fear and determination warred within her, as she contemplated going to see what all the commotion was about, all the while the screaming just kept going on and on, growing steadily closer…

A sudden pounding on her door very nearly killed her where she stood.

"Miss Kuchiki!" cried a voice filled with controlled panic on the other side of the door, "Miss Kuchik!!!"

Box still in hand, Rukia rushed to the door, unlatching it and pulling it open to revel the ragged form of no less than 6 of the manor's security guards.

"Good," said the man who had been pounding on her door not a moment ago, "Your safe…come on…we need to get you to the panic room…

"Wait," said Rukia, as the man firmly dragged her out of her room and down the hallway, "What's going on?"

"We…" said the guard, his name eluding Rukia to her burning shame, "We don't know."

He was not a small man by any measure, none of them were. This was by no means a bunch of never was mall security guys, these men were literally some of the best money could buy. Byakuya had personally and painstakingly selected each and every one of them by hand.

But the sad fact of the matter was, they hadn't trained for this, and even if they had it wouldn't have made much of a difference…

As the tight knit group rounded another corner they saw him there, coated in no small amount of blood, the bodies of what might have been three of the manor's staff scattered about him in too many pieces to count.

"Ah," he said, a nonchalant, yet satisfied voice said as he turned to face the group, "there you are..."

The feeling of his eyes on Rukia shut the rest of the world away for the young girl…the horrific scene of carnage not but a room away from her…the layered dry blood coating the insane man's body in patching too large to come from just one source…

At that moment Rukia felt more exposed than she ever had in her life, like the bastard was staring past her, and into her all at the same time…

Like he was staring into her very soul…

That instant seemed to drag out for an eternity, before the men around Rukia instantly snapped into action, confident in the face of an enemy they could fight. Rukia felt herself being moved gently, but forcefully behind the guards, as they took position, two crouched in front, two standing directly behind them, and two more flanking each side. Each held a hand gun with the firm steady hands of practiced marksmen.

They didn't bother to give any warning shots, as they simultaneously opened fire.

The noise was deafening to Rukia, who had never heard a gun go off so close before, but she wasn't about to complain about shooting the bastard…and yet she had a sickeningly awful feeling that it wasn't going to stop him…whoever he was…

And suddenly the noise stopped as all the pistols clicked dry, and dead silence filled the hallway…

There stood the man, unphased and unhurt by the barrage of bullets that would have reduced any other man to so much swiss cheese.

"Che, you mortals and your guns…"

And then he did an odd thing…I mean…besides survive an onslaught of bullets without so much a scratch…

He raised his left hand, and held out his palm, fingers wide, at the guards.

For half a second there was nothing…and then, a ripple, burst from the fingers, lancing out towards the guards, faster than they could respond…

And instant later they were on the ground, blood oozing out of every orifice as their insides were reduced to so much jelly…all save Rukia, who was spared…

Her legs gave out beneath her, as she felt the man's eyes on her again, fear and…confusion, shock, bewilderment, but mostly fear froze her in place, as she clutched at the box still in hers hands for dear life.

'_They died…to protect me…for what...why…_,' thoughts raced through Rukia's mind faster then she could full grasp at save for one thing, '_they died…no…he killed them_.'

She felt her teeth clench as the fury bubbled under her skin, "You bastard!" her eyes going from the murdered men at her feet to the box, and then finally back to the blue haired man "You killed them!"

"Yea…that's right," he said, a blood curdling smile spread wide across his face, and then suddenly he was gone…

And then he was standing right in front of Rukia, looking down at her…and at what she held so firmly in her hands, "Now if yer smart you'll let go of the box like a good girl and then…well…only a few more people need to die…"

"YOU FIRST!"

Abruptly the blue haired man was blindsided by a blond haired man…a man Rukia recognized almost instantly…

"Ichigo!?"

"Kurosaki," said the blue haired man, his grin growing to wild proportions as he wiped the blood away from his cheek, "Now it's a party…how's this plane treating you?"

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez…how's the arm?"

For an instant Grimmjow's smile disappeared twisted into a scorn filled sneer, and then it was gone as quick as it had come, as Grimmjow threw his head back and laughed a horrible sanity destroying laugh.

"Oh, you poor bastard," he said, the laughter dying in his throat as he level his insane eyes upon an unphased Ichigo, "you actually think you have a chance don't you?"

And suddenly the shadows about the room came alive swirling into shapes and forms that hurt the eyes that looked upon them. At least 20 such shapes took up position behind Grimmjow, and more were pilling in behind them…

"It's over Ichigo…just accept your fate like a man already."

At first Ichigo said nothing, except adjust his footing and raise his right arm out in a mirror of the move Grimmjow had made not but a few moments ago…

"Fate…," he said as power surged around him, cascading from his being to the tips of his fingers, "Is Relative!"

And then he raised his hand, and fired a blast of force at a section of the ceiling directly ahead of Grimmjow's band. Said roof promptly collapsed cutting either side off from the either in a hastily designed, if effective, barricade.

Ichigo didn't waste time, or mince words, instead promptly scoped up a stunned looking Rukia under one arm, and took off in the opposite direction.

It took a few minutes for Rukia to find her voice, and even then it didn't seem fully able to comprehend her commands…

"I-I-Ichigo?...W-What the Hell is going on!?"

"No time to explain that won't hold them back for long, we need to find a more defensible position."

"Wait What? No! Stop, tell me who the hell was that!?! And how did he- and how did you-"

"Look I know it's confusing, but you're gonna have to trust me Rukia, if we make it to dawn I promise I'll explain everything to you, until then all you have to worry about is holding onto that box for all your worth, Alright!?"

Thoughts and questions raced through Rukia's mind, mostly questions, circling around and around…and yet something was always coming back to one point…

"Fate is relative??? That doesn't even make any SENSE YOU IDIOT!!!"

"HEY if I want commentary I'll write this crap down and post it on the internet!"

(**A/N: **Ha Ha…reviews…)

* * *

Dawn was fast approaching San Fransico, and yet most people were still in their bed at this hour.

This, however, was not the case for one Uryu Ishida, who stood on the roof of a tall building just off the coast. He was facing to the west…

"I'm in position," he said, his finger pressed against the radio piece in his ear, "What's the time frame?"

"T-minus 4 minutes and counting," spoke the voice on the other side of radio, "take your time, and make it count because your only gonna get one shot at this…"

"Copy that."

He took a deep breath, in, held it, and let it out. With one hand he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and then held that same hand aloft to the east…

A bow of coherent blue light formed in his hand, humming with power and radiating precision.

He another breath in, held it, and let it out as well, bringing his other hand up parallel to the first arm…

An arrow of coherent blue light formed in the hand, the shaft long and true, the tip deadly and sharp.

He pulled the bow string back, finding the locking position with the ease of practice, and began a countdown in his mind.

His body locked in position, his sense stretched out before him, sketching the path of his shot all the way from his perch to his intended target…all the while the timer in his mind continued inevitably towards zero…

At ten seconds he drew back into himself…

At five seconds he took a breath, and held it…

At one he linked the fullness of his power with his arrow and then…

He let go…

At a speed that was blurring to the eyes the bolt zipped out across the sea, faster still than even Uryu's eyes could fully track, and then it disappeared over the horizon.

"Alright, Urahara I'm done here, where do you need me?"

"We're in the withdraw phase right now, head to the nearest way station, and regroup with whoever you find there."

"Any word from Abarai or Kurosaki?"

"Not yet, we'll keep you posted…"

"Right…signing off…"

With that Uryu abruptly flicked his radio off, and turned away from the cost. The nearest way station was about three hundred miles from here, and he had a hell of a walk ahead of him…

"I hope you make that count Kurosaki…if you don't I've got thirty thousand more with your name all over them…"

He abruptly vanished an instant later…no one ever even noticed he was there…

* * *

Ichigo's impromptu barricade did not last long at all. In this case, 'not long' meant less than 3 minutes, and Rukia was quick to notice a wall of seemingly solid darkness nipping at their heels.

"Ichigo…"

"I know."

The pair raced through the halls at speeds Rukia was having difficulty processing, as hallway after room, blurred by them just barely ahead of the black, and whatever it was writhing within.

Eventually they came to a long hallway with two divergent paths before them in the shape of a 'Y'. To the left was a flight of stairs…and to the right…a tide of black things cascading down the hallway intent on cutting off their escape.

"Ichigo!"

"I know!"

Closer and closer towards what seemed to be inevitability Ichigo hauled Rukia along at an eyewatering rate, in a race with two deadly swarms intent on tearing them limb from limb…

A yard separated them as Ichigo cut to the left…

A foot…

And suddenly they were clear, racing and bounding up the stairs, as the black shapes behind them collided into each other, reformed, and quickly gave chase.

Two flights of stairs disappeared beneath Ichigo's feet before they exited the stairwell. A short hallway lead to a huge room, half as wide as it was long. Encompassing the far wall was a window that stretched the length of the room, at either end stood two doors…which abruptly burst into shrapnel as more darkness poured into the room. Leaving only one exit left…

"ICHIGO!!!"

"I KNOW!!!"

The space between heartbeats was all that separated them from those horrible ink colored monstrosities. It happened nearly in an instant as Ichigo raced against the black across the room, hand out seemingly holding the darkness at bay with sheer force of will, and yet it seemed to Rukia that it dragged on for an eternity…

Fifteen feet separated them from the window, as their pursers closed in around them…

Ten feet, as Ichigo shifted his grip on Rukia, clutching her protectively to his chest…

Five feet, Ichigo needlessly called out, "HOLD ON!!!" Rukia barely heard him over the sound of his heartbeat, steady, calm, reassuring. She frantically juggled her grip from Ichigo to the box held tightly to her chest.

And suddenly the ground melted away, as the sound of glass shattering and the smell of fresh air assaulted her nose.

For a second she was free, floating in nothing with Ichigo, and for a moment she was content.

Just as swiftly the situation is rectified as gravity smashed them into the ground, Ichigo first.

For a minute they lay there, still clutching each other tightly, and just...process…

Eventually Rukia rolled off him, too stunned to ask him if he's alright or say much of anything. No he is the first to speak.

"Woh…that was close…" said Ichigo, as he sar up, and got a sense of their bearings.

They had landed in one of the manor courtyards…specifically, the family grave…

"What makes you think we're any safer out here than in there," asked Rukia eyes shut as her over worked mind tried desperately to keep up with all that was happening so quickly around her.

"That," said Ichigo, pointing at the 12 foot iron fence surrounding the hallowed earth about, "Wrought Iron, they can't pass over that, we're safe so long as we stay put…"

"Well, I guess I can just bury you right here then," spoke a familiar voice.

At once Ichigo's face contorted back into his familiar scowl, as he pulled himself to his feet, and turned towards the sound of that voice…

"Grimmjow…"

The being in question stood at the entrance to the cemetery, his wide wild eyes, and ferocious grin highlighted by a fire that had started in a section of the manor during the course of the slaughter.

For obvious reasons it had gone unattended and was starting to grow.

And then suddenly the light was gone, swallowed by a wave of darkness that swam into the courtyard, and surrounded the wrought iron cage, and pounded upon it, scrapping claws and other unsightly appendages against the metal bars.

Grimmjow took a casual step into the cemetery…and then another…

"And so this age ends all before them have…in darkness and flame…"

Ichigo motioned slightly to Rukia to get back as he matched Grimmjow's pace, step for step…

"This is NOT the end…"

Grimmjow's cruel laughter bit at Ichigo words…

"No it's only the beginning…" he said, as a katana swirled into existence in his right hand.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as their pace brought them steadily closer to each other, as an obsidian daito materialized in his right hand, a broken chain dangling at the end.

"Shut up and fight."

And so they did…

With less than seven feet between them, they launched themselves at each other and…

Disappeared…

* * *

The fade…as it has always been called…is the plane in between. The crack in the pavement if you will, an echo of the mortal plane so to speak…etc…etc…

Time flowed differently here, or sometimes not at all, and it was here that Ichigo and Grimmjow were at their most vulnerable, and so it was here they would fight…for a time…

Three seconds as mortals count them to be precise…however long that would last here…

The crack of metal on metal echoed in this empty plane, shadows of their iron fighting cage hemming them in on all sides, as the true faces of the beasts in the darkness watched with salivating jaws…but it's best not to dwell on such things…

Power swirled and flowed about the struggling pair in visible waves clashing violently, echoing the combat of their wielders.

And suddenly the struggle was broken as Ichigo stepped back, and lashed out at Grimmjow's feet.

The blue haired being leapt over the attack lancing out with a kick that Ichigo rolled out of the way.

Simultaneously they hit the ground and launched at their opposite again, Ichigo's blue waves of power colliding with Grimmjow's teal waves…

The ground shook beneath them as their blades and the power behind them collided. Blows passed between the two as swift as lightening, cracking like thunder.

Ichigo saw an opening that he promptly put his foot in, colliding solidly with Grimmjow's abdomen, sending the psychopath hurtling back into the iron grate fence.

Ichigo rushed after him legs not even touching the ground at his speed, bluring over to Grimmjow a second before…

* * *

…the pair popped back into view, Grimmjow slumped against the fence, Ichigo charging after him, sword held in preparation for a decapitating stroke…

Only for Grimmjow to suddenly leap inside Ichigo's guard, slashing out catching the young man across the chest opening a blood rent from right shoulder to lower left rib.

To Ichigo's credit he shrugged it off, slashing before Grimmjow's return stroke, biting deep into his opponent's left shoulder.

Leaping back at the same time, and then rushing in again, the two slammed into each other like twin tornadoes dueling faster and faster.

As them met, leapt back, met, leapt back, and…

…vanished again.

* * *

Once more in the fade Ichigo, wasted no time, leaping into the air Grimmjow in close pursuit.

At the apex of his jump, roughly 100 feet into the air, he flipped himself and focused his energy into his feet, creating a spring board that he immediately leapt off back towards the earth.

So swiftly had he pulled off the maneuver, that Grimmjow didn't have time to strike as he passed the now falling Ichigo.

As Ichigo touched down he flipped and repeated Ichigo's trick, launching himself back towards his prey.

Ichigo, responded in kind, both hands firmly gripping his blade as more and more power flowed into it.

At 75 feet in the air they clashed seemingly suspended in air by their own power exploding around them, and then they…

* * *

Shifted back to the mortal plane, as gravity took over…

Niether of them seemed to notice much, as they rolled end over end from falling from the sky and their blades screeched against each other.

And suddenly Ichigo's blade was gone, faded back to wherever he had spawned it…

His fist however were not gone, as he plowed them into Grimmjow again and again, who was slow to react with his sword in such close quarters…

But inevitability reared it's head as the ground smashed into them was jarring force, sending them both clear of them other.

A dust cloud separated them, blocking the visions of both fighters.

A cloud Grimmjow abruptly leapt through, sword gone, left leg curled back for Ichigo's as both fights…

* * *

Appeared in the fade again, as Ichigo ducked under Grimmjow's flying kick…inadvertently playing right into his hand, as the murderer swirled in the air, and brought his other foot to bare squarely against Ichigo's face…

Blood flowed from Ichigo's mouth, as his body was sent hurtling back, colliding violent with the gate. He stayed where he was slumped against the gate, and a pair of claws reached through the gate, enduring the wrought iron to tear at it's enemy's flesh.

Before Ichigo could address the thing tearing at his ribs, Grimmjow was upon him, slamming blow after blow into his face, leaving Ichigo too stunned to react…

Stars danced in his vision, growing brighter and larger with each hit Grimm landed, until Ichigo decided that he had had enough.

He caught Grimmjow's next blow, and threw both it and him back against the far wall…

And suddenly his power was coursing around him again, burning the thing holding him away, even as he reeled one fist back and charged Grimmjow, who responded in kind. A second before they…

* * *

Reappeared, fists slamming into each other in unison the power of the collision fulling scattering the dust cloud as both fighters flew and rolled away from the epicenter.

Although it seemed Grimmjow got the worst end of the stick, as Ichigo slide to the base of the wall on his side, Grimm slammed into the top half of his.

Still they both rose, and stared each other down.

Eye's locked breath coming out in ragged bloody gasps, a smile twisted horribly across Grimmjow's face, a determined look hammered into Ichigo's.

A unknown section of time passed as the two sized each other up, neither one wavering in the slightest, until…Ichigo's eyes drifted ever so subtly to the east, for just a single instant.

That was all Grimmjow needed, as he charged across the cemetery, sword in hand, gleeful murder in his eyes.

Ichigo's sword sprang back into his hands in response, an instant before Grimmjow was upon him, and they both disappeared…

* * *

And reappeared inside the fade.

A picoseconds before Grimmjow eviscerated him, Ichigo dropped out of the way, rolling to the left and back just a bit…

Grimmjow followed him, sword swirling before him, blood lust blinding him to Ichigo's movement as his eyes screamed KILLKILL KILL!

Ichigo danced about his opponent reelling and on the defensive, moving always back…and just a bit to the left…

And then suddenly Grimmjow's knee was in his gut, driving the wind and blood from his lungs, as the hilt of his sword came crashing down upon his head driving him to his knees his sword slipping from numb fingers and disappearing before it hit the ground…a second before they…

* * *

Popped back into existence, not but fifteen feet from where Rukia had been watching the exchange with increasingly widening eyes.

It was all a blur to her for the most part, it seemed like despite her vested interest she was still missing half the fight…like they kept shifting from here to…somewhere else.

For awhile she was sure Ichigo was winning, but something must of happened because now he was on his knees before that…thing…whatever it was, it sure wasn't human, and it looked like he was about to be…

'ICHIGO!' her mind cried out a minute before she stopped herself from calling his name…

She had to have faith in him, even in the face of this, and she would damn it…

No matter what she had to believe…

Blood and stars obscured Ichigo's vision as he looked up at Grimmjow, still poised to take his head, but holding back…if only to savor the moment…

Before he could properly do anything he pulled back for the finishing stroke…a second before he froze…

He looked down at his chest…

The glowing blue tip of an arrow stuck out, an enormous amount of power pooled within…

"Uryu sends his regards," said Ichigo, as he rose to his feet, a rueful smile spread across his face, "And a special package via airmail…good bye Grimmjow."

A second later a powerful blue light exploded from the tip, cascading outwards, wiping out the dark things pressed so hard against the wrought iron fence…as well as every other such creature in a five mile radius.

It's certainly not enough to kill one such as Grimmjow…but he's definitely not happy.

Wasting no time Ichigo rose to his feet, ignoring the affects of the arrow, as his sword sprung to life in his hand, blue power sheathing it's length, as he lanced out with it.

A solid wave of energy slammed into Grimmjow's unmoving form, enveloping him, and sending him flying backwards, clear of the cemetery and slamming into the house, which abruptly exploded around him.

The fight was over…

For now…

As his sword faded out of existence, and the pain of his wounds finally caught up with him Ichigo turned to regard Rukia.

"So," he said, scratching at the back of his head in a nervous habit, "I suppose your wondering what that was all about…"

* * *

**A/N: **Ah FRIGGEN HA!

That's right chapter 1 ladies and gentlemen. Good god that was long as…well…profane word…

Now I know most of you are confused, and I can't blame you, as that's the state Rukia is in for like 90% of this chapter. All I can say is DON'T WORRY, everything will be explained in detail in the following chapter.

Whenever those get up.

Which brings me to my next point.

I needs reviews…see consider this a sort of…prototype…if it passes inspection we move on to the next stage of development, however, I'm not the inspector I'm the developer.

You people are the inspectors, by which I mean reviewers, and in order for me to summon forth the will to write the next chapter…

I'm gonna need some feedback.

REMEMBER **!*!*=REVIEWS=*!*!**

Until next time…


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